Research

Hormonal

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) used for bodybuilding cause a distinct phenotype of liver injury characterized by high bilirubin levels with relatively low transaminases, often leading to cholestasis and liver neoplasms.

If you are using anabolic steroids for bodybuilding, be aware that they can cause serious liver damage, including cholestasis, liver tumors, and acute liver failure. Symptoms may include jaundice (yellowing of skin/eyes) and abdominal pain. Regular liver function monitoring is crucial, and you should discuss your steroid use with a healthcare provider.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
AAS hepatotoxicity was associated with a distinct phenotype, characterized by considerable total bilirubin (TB) elevations independent of type of damage, in addition to low values of transaminases and alkaline phosphatase... Several patterns of injury such as focal nodular hyperplasia, hepatocellular adenoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, peliosis hepatis... have been described.
Miren García‐Cortés et al. · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2016

Why this rating

Evidence is based on registry data and case series, showing a clear trend but lacking large-scale controlled studies.

Source

Hepatotoxicity by Dietary Supplements: A Tabular Listing and Clinical Characteristics

Miren García‐Cortés et al. · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2016

DOI 10.3390/ijms17040537

narrative_reviewCited 178×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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